Umeko snorted. “I feared she would kill him in his sleep.”
Startled, Shin raised an eyebrow. That was something to consider, though he would need to speak to Aimi before he did so seriously. “She is so fierce, then?”
“Are the women of the Crane not dangerous in their own way?” Umeko asked. “They kill with whispers and words. Our daughters kill with steel.”
Shin sipped at his tea. “The latter is, perhaps, more merciful, I think.”
“Only if you are of a mind to be quick,” Umeko said, absently. “My sister once… Well, that is neither here nor there.” She looked at him. “The boy was a fool, the girl fierce – but foolish too, in her own way.”
“What way might that have been?”
“She was… reserved. Not sullen, but resigned. As if she was carrying a weight on her shoulders. I could read it on her face.” Umeko paused. “There was a sadness there.”
“For her father, perhaps?” Shin asked. “I am told he went missing, soon after the arrangement was made.”
“Possibly. At first I thought it was a result of her deafness – a disconnect with the world around her. It happens sometimes.”
Shin interrupted. “She is deaf?”
“You did not know?”
“No.”
Umeko flapped a hand dismissively. “She is only partially deaf, and can read lips, and sign – all Unicorn children are taught to sign at an early age. Proper sign, not that genteel fluttering you Cranes use. It was not an issue.” She paused. “She was in love. Or had been.”
“A lover?” Shin leaned forward, hands clasping his knees. Nishi’s concerns about suitability suddenly made more sense. “Did Gen know?”
“No. No one did. I am not certain of it, you understand. But I have been matchmaker long enough to recognize the signs.”
“Yes, I suppose that is something one would want to be aware of.”
Umeko smiled. “Yes, one would.” Her smile faded. “Gen was not a man who would accept such a thing. I wondered myself if he had found out, and… well.” She gestured helplessly. “He was that sort of fool.”
“Could someone have told him – the mysterious lover, perhaps?”
“A possibility. I have seen it before, in the case of an ill-thought out match. But if you are thinking of asking me, no, I do not know who it might be, if anyone.”
“A shame.” Shin smiled. “That would have made things so much easier.”
“Yes, well, as I often tell people, I can’t do it all for you – much as I might like to, on occasion.” She sat in silence, as if mulling something over. Then, “While I do not know who it is for certain, I had my suspicions.”
Shin waited, enjoying his tea. She considered it a moment more and said, “The bodyguard. Katai Ruri.”
“And what makes you say this?”
“A woman’s intuition.” Umeko paused. “That was glib. I apologize.”
“No, it is as good an answer as any.” Shin set his cup down. Relationships between yojimbo and their masters were not unknown, though they were frowned upon for the obvious reasons. Especially in a case like this, where the mistress in question had a duty to fulfil. “I should have seen it myself. It explains much that I found odd about the situation. Though it still begs the question – who told Gen what was going on?”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because if you are right, and my suspicions are correct, whoever it was instigated this matter with malice aforethought. That bodes ill.”
“Yes. Thankfully, that is your problem, not mine.” She gave Shin a frank look. “Tell me, Crane… have you yet considered marriage?”
Shin blinked. “Ah – well, no.”
Umeko sniffed. “Of course you haven’t. People rarely do, until it is too late. There are several young women – and young men – of my acquaintance I think you might find suitable, should you wish for me to make the introductions.”
“I will keep that in mind, thank you.” Shin set his teacup down and said, “My thanks for all that you have told me, as well.”
At his gesture, Umeko rose stiffly to her feet. “You are welcome, my lord. But do not forget my offer. A clever husband is prized among the Unicorn – but not too clever. You would find yourself a welcome match, I believe.” She bowed low and retreated.
After a moment, Kasami entered, a cloth-wrapped bundle in her hand. Shin motioned for her to sit. “You were listening, I hope.”
Kasami nodded, somewhat reluctantly. It had taken him no small effort to break Kasami of her habit of not eavesdropping on private conversations. So many people assumed that paper walls were universally respected, that one could learn much if one was willing to ignore such traditions. “Yes,” she said. “She’s right. It’s time you started to consider settling down.”
“Not about that,” he said, quickly. “Lady Aimi’s lover.”
“She wasn’t certain that the girl had one,” Kasami said, doubtfully.
“She was,” Shin countered. “She would not have mentioned it otherwise.”
Kasami gave another grudging nod. “It would explain things. Gen found out and felt slighted. I’ve known many men who would do the same as he did.”
“And what is your opinion of them?”
Kasami grunted. “In my humble opinion, the world is better off without them. If the girl did have a lover, it was likely someone Gen knew.”
Shin gestured. “Go on.”
“His reaction was too strong otherwise. He would have challenged a stranger and thought no more of it. That it was someone he knew made the betrayal sting all the more sharply.” Kasami fell silent. Shin nodded in satisfaction.
“Excellent. You have been listening, haven’t you?”
“You talk so much, it’s impossible not to hear some of it.”
“Either way, I’m pleased.” Shin clapped his hands onto his knees. “Now, I need you to deliver a message for me – to Zeshi Shijan.”
“Why not use one of Batu’s people?”
“Because I wish it to come from me, not from the authority of the magistrate. From what Batu has told me of Shijan, I believe he will appreciate that more. I am sure Nozomi can tell you how to get there.”
“Why not send Kitano?”
“Because I am asking you.” Shin paused. “You are more impressive than Kitano. And I wish him to be impressed.”
Kasami nodded, frowning. “And what am I to tell him?”
“I will call upon the Zeshi tomorrow.” He paused. “I was hoping to get into the city some. Lord Shijan has given me the excuse. Thank him for me.”
She nodded again, but did not move. Shin looked at her. “Well?”
“I will go. But first…” She unwrapped the bundle, revealing two wooden practice swords. Shin winced at the sight of them.
“Ah. Must we? There isn’t really time, I don’t think…”
“You avoided me this morning,” Kasami said, sternly. “It is my duty to protect you, even from your own bad habits. Nozomi showed me a space out back that Batu uses for his own exercises. We will be quick.” She stood and tossed him one of the swords.
“Up, my lord. Let us see if you remember anything your tutors taught you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Zeshi
The next day, the streets of the middle district were crowded. Business had to be concluded before Lady Sun surrendered the field to Lord Moon, and merchants hawked their wares for the day. Shin could smell spicy noodles and incense beneath the omnipresent tang of the tanneries on the lower slopes. The wind had shifted, dragging the stink upwards.
Carts and horses vied for control of the street, forcing pedestrians onto the narrow paths that wound along the shopfronts. Refuse collectors scurried at the edges of the crowd, trying to keep the walkways free of animal dung and the debris left by careless travelers.
Shin wished them luck in their task, though he knew enough about horses to know it was largely in vain.
A yubatake – a hot water field – of impressive size occupied the center of the district, and the majority of the shops and storefronts clustered about it, taking advantage of the pleasant sulfur odor and the warming steam. It was the largest source of hot spring water in the city. A web of wooden conduits surrounded the field, and water spilled through them at great volume. These, Shin knew, served to cool the waters as well as draw them to the numerous ryokan, onsen, and public baths for which the city was famous.
Shin could feel the volcanic warmth of the waters settling onto the street. Even at this time of year, the mountains had a chilly air. The heat from the water nicely offset it. But everything had a pall of dampness and humidity. Banners sagged, water-stained and dripping. Wood inevitably swelled, and brick cracked.
The hot springs that formed where the waters eddied or emerged from the rock were the lifeblood of Hisatu-Kesu. But they would also be its eventual undoing. Century by century they wore away at the outer shell of the mountain, even as the people of the city dug down to meet them. Eventually, there might be nothing left of the mountain. Just water, rising up and falling down, forever.
He glanced up, noting the hundreds of paper lanterns that hung from cords stretched across the street. They were not yet lit, but, come nightfall, the streets of Hisatu-Kesu would look as if a swarm of fireflies had invaded. From what Batu had implied, this was done purely for the benefit of the noble district ensconced on the slopes above. Apparently it gave them something pretty to look at in the evenings.
When he mentioned this to Kasami, she shook her head. “Wasteful. I am surprised.”
“Why?”
“I thought the Unicorn above such things.”
Shin chuckled. “I suspect that they learned such vices from us. They have always been quick studies. Besides, where is the harm?”
“I said wasteful, not harmful.” She paused. “You believe there is something to it, then? What the matchmaker told you?”
Shin nodded. “Yes. Though I do not yet know whether it is the whole of the thing or merely a fragment of some greater conspiracy.”
Kasami glowered at a fruit peddler, and the heimin scrambled from their path. “If you find out who it is, what then?”
“That depends on who it is – and what part they played in Gen’s death.” He swept his fan out, trying to brush aside the noisome smell of horse dung and sulfur. “It is conceivable to me that whoever it is might have alerted Gen in order to bring an end to the marriage, with no thought given to the consequences. Similarly, it might have been someone who knew and thought it wrong for Aimi to wed Gen while still beholden to another.”
“Whatever the reason, the end result was the same.”
“Yes, but either way, it exonerates Ruri.”
“She does not seem to wish exoneration.”
“You’ve asked her?”
Kasami hesitated. “No.”
Shin gave her a steady look. “Then how do you know what she wishes?”
“She is a samurai. However fallen, however graceless, some things do not change. They are woven into the fabric of us. She wishes to die. The families wish her to die. Let her die.”
“Her mistress does not wish it.”
Kasami fell silent. Shin went on, remorseless. “It is Lady Aimi she serves, and it is Lady Aimi who holds the final sanction at bay. It was Lady Aimi who wrote to Lady Konomi, seeking her intervention. And it is only Lady Aimi who can give her the absolution she seeks. Until such time as that occurs, she remains a prisoner.”
He looked at Kasami, and saw a familiar mulish expression on her face. “You have been glowering more than usual since we arrived. It cannot simply be your annoyance with the situation.”
Kasami didn’t look at him. “You sent Kitano into Northern Owari. Why?”
He wasn’t surprised she’d figured out what Kitano’s errand was. He’d made no attempt to hide it, after all. “To find these Shiko cousins everyone keeps mentioning.”
“Is that the only reason?”
Shin paused, and Kasami continued past him for several steps before she stopped and turned. “What are you asking me?” he demanded.
“You’re the investigator. You tell me.”
Shin frowned and made to reply. But before the words left his lips, he closed his mouth and looked away. Finally, he said, “He told you about that, then?”
“Yes.”
“Since when does he tell you anything?”
“He is worried about you.”
“That’s being charitable. Kitano rarely worries about anything other than Kitano.” Shin sighed and shook his head. “You have nothing to fear. I have no intention of seeking such entertainments while we are here.”
“And after we leave?”
Shin looked at her. “I cannot predict the future, helpful as such a skill might be.”
“You are a fool.”
“Yes. I thought you knew that by now.” Shin forestalled her reply with a gesture. “It is nothing more than… practice, you might say.”
“Practice?”
“A test of my resolve.” Shin watched as a quartet of servants bore a curtained litter across the intersection. The curtains were of good quality and bore the markings of a noble family, though not one he recognized. As everywhere, the lands of the Unicorn were infested with an excess of minor nobility. Provincial retainers and vassals of vassals, all seeking to climb the steps of influence.
“Boredom is a sickness for me,” he continued. “You know this. It… insinuates itself in me, and I cannot shake it, save by indulging it. Once, that meant surrendering to my vices. These days, it is not so simple.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. There was suspicion in her voice. He didn’t blame her. These days, he often asked himself whether he was telling the truth – or rationalizing his decisions.
“Because now I have a new vice.” He tapped the side of his head. “A new compulsion, one more satisfying to indulge in than any illicit game of dice.” He started walking, and she joined him. “You were right, before. My boredom is what drove me to accept Lady Konomi’s request. And it is why I am so… intent on this matter.”
“You admit it?”
“Of course.” He gave her a stern look. “That my motive is purely selfish, however, does not preclude me from being correct. This cannot simply be about a courtship gone wrong. Something else is going on, I can feel it. And I suspect I am not the only one.”
“Batu, you mean.”
“Mmm. He would not have surrendered to my hare-brained impulse so quickly if he did not suspect something untoward was going on. He risks much by letting me rampage through his jurisdiction. He would not do so without reason.”
“So he’s hoping you’ll do his job for him.”
“He’s hoping I can find an excuse to keep him from having to do his job.” Shin sniffed the air. The streets were shaped such that the strongest odors of the city were trapped, unable to rise and disperse. They blended and layered, becoming almost solid. The smells of food, of horse dung and boiling leather. Of lard and ash and steam.
Sound too was trapped here, folded back in on itself by the curvature of the mountain. By turns it was too loud and too quiet. One street might shudder with the thunderous clamoring of rushing water while another might be as silent as a tomb.
“This city is odd,” he murmured. “It rides the mountains, but not with any skill. Rather, it is like a man barely holding on to a horse that threatens to buck him off.”
“All the more reason to finish what we’re here for and leave.”
Shin nodded. “Perhaps.” He smiled mischievously. “Though there is a dearth of Crane influence in this city. Not even a single vassal merchant bearing our feather. Shameful. I wonder if I sho
uld talk to my grandfather – see about establishing someone here.”
Kasami grunted. “A proper use of your time at last. I am glad to see…” She trailed off and gave him a stern look. “Was that a joke?”
“Only a little one.”
“Very little.” She blew out a breath and gestured towards a set of wooden stairs, careening upwards between two nondescript buildings. “The noble district occupies the heights – not quite the crown of the mountain, but close. The home of the Zeshi is to the west.” She looked at him. “They may not let us in. They did not seem happy to receive your message.”
“Were you received by anyone of importance?”
“No.”
Shin nodded, unsurprised. “Ah, well. I have no doubt that they are expecting us.”
The climb was not as arduous as he feared. The steps were rough-cut and scraped beneath his sandals. Lanterns, bearing the sigils of the families, marked the paths to their homes and estates.
The Zeshi owned a number of houses, all clustered together on the same slope behind a high masonry wall reinforced by timbers. A pair of rearing horses, cast in bronze, stood sentry to either side of the main gate. A trifle ostentatious, Shin thought, but he kept this to himself as he presented himself at the gate.
A pair of ashigaru, clad in utilitarian armor with badges denoting their loyalty, stood sentinel. A servant was waiting with them. He bowed low as Shin came into sight, and gestured for the gates to be opened. “Lord Shijan awaits you in the gardens, my lord. He hopes you will forgive him for not meeting you in the proper fashion, but he wishes to take his exercise while he may.”
“Oh, excellent, I always enjoy a bit of exercise,” Shin said, blithely. Kasami snorted, but mercifully remained otherwise silent. The servant led them across a garden courtyard to the main house, with its foundations of stone and timber walls. At the top of the outdoor stairs, a second servant waited. Shin and Kasami offered up their swords, as decorum demanded. They were guided through the house to the interior garden.
The garden was a large square of green, centered at the heart of the house. A few carefully cultivated trees provided shade and a home for the songbirds he heard flitting about in the branches. Flowers of unusual lushness and a bright crimson hue clumped in bunches beneath the trees. Bees buzzed among them.
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